Content Writing Portfolio

News Coverage

Five Years In, The College Scorecard’s Scorecard
Written on spec for a Pacific-Northwest Education Startup, this article examines the strengths and weaknesses of the federally-funded college comparison tool known as the College Scorecard.[Pub Date: 3/1/2017]

Some Customers Report LADWP Overcharging on Monthly Bill
When asked to look into the LADWP wildly overcharging customers, I assumed I wouldn’t find anything nefarious. What I uncovered was a tangled web of algorithmically derived estimated bills that ballooned far from reality. Leaving many homeowners across the Southland on the tab for thousands of dollars in erroneous charges.[Pub Date: 5/28/2015] [PDF Backup]

Social Impact

The Dark Side of Unlicensed Sober Living Homes
A deep scrutiny of an industry built around society’s most vilified. It’s easy for companies to take advantage of those we have cast out and ignore. We must take a closer look at the stacked deck thrown at those seeking a way out of addiction.[Pub Date: 1/21/16]

The Birth of Solar Panels“I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don’t have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that.” – Thomas Edison, 1931[Pub Date: 7/20/2015] [PDF Backup]

Home Living

Get Off My Lawn! Epic Neighbor Feuds and How to Avoid Them
We’ve all been there. Fighting our neighbors over garbage cans, noisy parties or the wattage of a porch lightbulb. It tends to sound silly but neighbor feuds can easily turn disastrous. Let’s discuss a few real cases of neighbor feuds and look at the psychology in resolving them![Pub Date: 8/24/15][PDF Backup]

5 Wildly Lavish Private Estates
A fun dissection of five of the most ridiculously expensive estates. A dash of hubris and a smattering of schadenfreude are thrown in for good measure![Pub Date: 2/28/15] [PDF Backup]

Lifestyle

The State of Dating in 2016
Don’t let the byline fool you. Rachel Brewson doesn’t exist. (Long story, but an interesting one.) This huge 2,000 word think piece is my critical deconstruction of technology’s ability to paralyze people with an overabundance of choice! What this might mean when looking for love in 2016.[Pub Date: 5/12/16] [PDF Backup]

The Uber Playbook
The sharing economy has a dark side. We explore the underhanded tricks employed by Uber to capture marketshare and continue global expansion.[Pub Date: 2/17/15] [PDF Backup]

Deep Research

Lords of the White City: Burnham and Root
Early contributors to modern life, the architect duo of Burnham and Root designed a larger-than-life World’s Fair along the lake of late-1800s Chicago.[Pub Date: 12/10/15]

Trimming the Fringe of Suburbia
Blight was once synonymous with urban cityscapes. Now, the suburbs have fallen victim to a shrinking economy and stagnant wages. Will suburbia survive?[Pub Date: 12/8/14] [PDF Backup]

Exploration

Secret Stairs Walk 42 – Murphy Ranch
Before Murphy Ranch was demolished citing safety concerns, we risked life and limb by descending 500 steps down the side of a mountain to visit this self-contained Nazi compound in its final days.[Pub Date: 1/27/2014]

Urban Climb: LA’s Eagle Rock Steps
Public stairs slice through many of Los Angeles’ neighborhoods. Few know of these hidden climbs and nearby owners want these stairs removed. Best enjoy these while we can![Pub Date: 6/4/14] [PDF Backup]

Listicles

Top 13 Halloween Songs
Lock the doors, close the blinds, and prepare for the scare of your life. We are counting down the top 13 Halloween songs that are sure to make your night of fright a little more fun![Pub Date: 10/19/15]

Movies in the Park – BYO Everything
People just can’t get enough of movies in the park. Spending an evening under the stars is far more enjoyable when you come prepared with everything on this list![Pub Date: 7/23/15] [PDF Backup]